The invention relates to a device for use in conjunction with an animal leash to train the animal to refrain from straining against the leash.
By way of background, humane use of electroshock stimulus apparatus mounted on dog collars, primarily for remote controlled training of dogs by means of remote transmitters, has become widely accepted by humane societies in the United States. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,402 and 4,802,482 illustrate the state of the art for remote controlled electrical stimulus training collars. U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,795 discloses a "bark control" electrical stimulus collar which is not actuated by RF signals received from a remote transmitter, but instead is activated by the sound of a dog's own barking; this product is used to automatically train a dog to avoid nuisance barking.
A problem which has not yet been effectively addressed by use of electrical stimulus in the field of dog training is disruptive pulling against a leash, especially by a large, rambunctious dog. For example, a large rambunctious dog being "walked" by a small person might cause the person to stumble or even suddenly pull the person into traffic. U.S. Pat. No. 2,023,950 discloses a leash and collar for a dog including electrodes which are connected by an automotive spark coil; a push button on a battery pack connected to the primary winding of the spark coil is actuated to produce "a slight electric shock" to catch the dog's attention. The purpose is to teach the dog to associate a particular command or sound with a slight shock and to teach the dog that if it gives proper attention to the command or sound it will receive no shock. German patent document DE 003300486 discloses a dog leash and collar including a piezoelectric ignition element activated by leash tension. U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,002 discloses a device coupled between a leash and a collar so that tensioning of the leash actuates a trigger which then actuates an electrically powered sound generator to discourage the animal from excessive tensioning of the leash. A device marketed as the WONDER WHISTLE by KII Enterprises of Camillus, N.Y. and another device advertised as the HAPPY WALKER both produce sounds which are emitted when a dog strains excessively against a leash.
None of these prior art leash devices produce electrical stimulation of the type described in the assignee's above-mentioned patents to effectively train dogs (or other animals) to consistently avoid undesired behaviors.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,482, issued Feb. 7, 1989 by Gonda et al. entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOTE CONTROL OF ANIMAL TRAINING STIMULUS", U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,795, issued Aug. 14, 1990 by Gregory J. Farkas entitled "BARKING CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD", U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,428, issued Oct. 8, 1991 by Gregory J. Farkas entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOTE CONDITIONED CUE CONTROL OF ANIMAL TRAINING STIMULUS", and U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,402 issued Dec. 27, 1988 by Gonda et al. entitled "ANTENNA FOR ANIMAL TRAINING RECEIVER UNIT MOUNTED BENEATH COLLAR" all are incorporated herein by reference.
There is an unmet need for an inexpensive, effective training apparatus that enables a person to easily and safely walk and automatically control and train an animal, especially a large, rambunctious dog, to avoid disruptive pulling on the leash.
It also would be desirable for professional dog trainers to have an electronic stimulus device which provides stimulation similar to that of the previously mentioned commonly assigned patents but adapted for training wherein the trainer is very close to and in physical contact with the dog, for example, when training the dog to "heel", roll over, etc. whereby a remote transmitter is not needed to provide commands to the stimulus unit.